See more photos of the performance hall as it was being constructed in downtown Houston...

Photo: File

Photos: Vintage construction pics of Houston's favorite landmarks

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Click through the slideshow above to see what Houston's favorite landmarks looked like while they were under construction...

From freeways, to stadiums, to theaters, a lot of dirt has been moved around the city in the past century or so.

It was this week in 1964 that ground was broken on the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston, replacing the aging City Auditorium. It was paid for by Houston Endowment Inc., a foundation established by Jones and accepted as a gift for the city.

The $7.4 million facility would have its grand opening in October 1966, an event that attracted national attention with critics falling in love with the acoustics and marveling at the movable ceiling.

That ceiling moved in five different patterns to accommodate music or the spoken word, and similar systems could shrink the auditorium from 2,912 seats to 2,300.

Since its opening, it has hosted acts as diverse as Sammy Davis Jr., Eddie Vedder, Bun B, Keith Urban, Johnny Cash, and William Shatner.

Today Jones Hall is also home to the Houston Symphony and the Society for the Performing Arts. Hundreds of thousands of people come to the venue each year and bask in its beauty. That plush carpet inside doesn't hurt either.